In a recent article, Dmetri Kakmi wrote about his dogs, a kelpie and a blue heeler, dying from 1080 fox bait. They had eaten it during a weekend trip to the high country and died horribly. The week after the essay appeared, he received many letters from readers.

He writes: "Surprisingly, the requests came from people who live in rural areas. I had thought that only city dwellers, people removed from the realities of farming and wildlife care, would take up such a cause."

"The observation that Gallipoli was a military disaster is beside the point. Anzac serves as Australia's creation story: in proving their manhood, Australian men proved our nationhood - a nation was born on that day of death. So the legend ran."

"Our landscape has been transformed by war memorials, small and large, local and national, statues of diggers in the hundreds, obelisks, cairns and cenotaphs. The cult of Anzac has been naturalised in Australia, but, to a newcomer, the monumental honouring of war dead might look excessive."

Does Lake have a valid point? Do we make too much of the Anzac campaign in Turkey, at the expense of arguably more significant markers, such as Federation? Or is it simply an appropriate acknowledgement of the fallen? Does our fascination with the "exploits of the expeditionary forces" mean the "myth will remain our creation story until the nation is reborn?"

From changing the divorce law to force parents to stay together, abolishing retirement to a single national education system that promotes diversity, flexibility and mobility. All of them have been jettisoned.

How much of the commitment to change was genuine andhow much of it was hot air, designed soley for consumption during an election year?

Average house prices are now seven times the average annual salary, up from about three times when the boomers first bought into the property market.

In the months since the temporary increase in the first home owners' grant - $7000 for established homes and $14,000 for new ones - prices in the sub-$500,000 category have ballooned.

Who is the first home owners grant really benefiting? Is it assisting the next generation of home buyers, or simply increasing debt repayments through higher house prices? Has the Government gone back on its promise to improve housing affordability?

On the same day households were warned of massive water price rises to pay for the pipe project and other anti-drought measures, a consultant's report has cast fresh doubts on the $600 million-plus pipeline's ability to alleviate shortages.

Is it right to judge the pipeline before irrigation upgrades? Under draft water prices released yesterday, households in Melbourne will face hundreds of dollars in extra charges. Opposition water spokeswoman Louise Asher says the prices are substantially unfair, particularly to low-income people. Does she have a point?

Under the guidelines, backed by a threat of disciplinary action, employees using those sites on official Telstra business should disclose who they are, ensure they don't give away confidential information and treat other users with respect.

Some employees are being made to undertake an accreditation process and undergo training in the use of social networking sites. Given their functions extend beyond personal interaction and have legitimate work uses, can employees be trusted to draw the line between business and personal use?

Should employees be able to access and use these sites during business hours?

TV pin-up Todd Sampson rubbished a child abuse ad on the show but failed to disclose that his agency worked for the charity until an acrimonious split five years ago.

Does Sampson have a case to answer? Should he have disclosed what many would perceive as a conflict of interest? Should the show, which regularly draws in audiences in excess of one million, have vetted Sampson before his appearance?

Melbourne barrister Tim Tobin, SC, says commissioner Bernard Teague's decision to deny his and other legal teams the right to appear means no one will be speaking on behalf of victims at the commission, which starts its hearings in Melbourne this morning.

Has Teague erred in refusing representation from the victims of Black Saturday? Premier John Brumby, when establishing the inquiry, insisted it would be a "people's commission", one that would be open to all. Has the Premier gone back on his word?

Public transport failures, traffic nightmares and water shortages - just a few of the things that blight modern urban life.

In response, the State Government is proposing quick fixes that involve new roads, longer freeways, rail tunnels and a desalination plant, solutions that will cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Yet in the face of unbounded urban sprawl, such answers are short-term and ultimately unsustainable.

Frank Reale today suggests there may be another way, noting smaller planned cities "make more sense". Storm water harvesting for household and industrial use, water recycling, conversion of sewage and garbage into fuel, and greenhouse market gardens and aquaculture using low-grade waste heat - all of these notions become more realistic when matters are scaled down.

Is he right? Are smaller cities more efficient? How to best tackle the problems that beset larger urban centres?

Senior officials from government departments have told The Age that widespread rackets among private trades colleges are "out of control" and undermining Australia's education, immigration and employment systems.

What should be done to tackle the problem? Have you witnessed such exploitation first-hand?

My name is Sushi Das and I am the author of the article about corrupt colleges in The Age newspaper and on The Age's website today. I have been researching this area for some time. One of the difficulties is finding out which colleges are doing the wrong thing and then getting firm evidence to prove it. If you have documentary evidence or you can name some of the colleges involved, or you have any information you think might help research this area, you can email me directly on sdas@theage.com.au

Australia's biggest banks have caused an outcry by pocketing most of the latest official interest rate cut from the Reserve Bank.

In an unprecedented decision, National Australia Bank will give its home loan customers nothing from yesterday's official 0.25 per cent rate whilst the Commonwealth Bank has said it will only pass on a cut of a tenth of a percentage point.

Do you agree with Treasurer Swan? Should Australia's major banks be passing on interest rate cuts?

Where Arndt seems to be implying a little more enthusiasm on the part of the fairer sex may be the solution, others disagree where the 'blame' lies.

Wendy Frew suggests Australian men are part of the problem. "But maybe it's the blokes who've lost their sex appeal, their ring of confidence, and the women are too nice to say it. Once they were turned on, now they're just ... not."

Is there a solution to this sad state of affairs? What would you recommend to those looking to engender a little long-lost excitement in the bedroom?

Several key pledges emerged from the event, including a $US1 trillion deal to combat the economic downturn, agreements to ensure future growth and support and $US50 billion for the world's poorest countries.

"This is the day the world came together to fight back against the global recession, not with words but with a plan for global recovery and reform," British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown said.

What strategies would you like to see put in place? What else should have been discussed at the meeting? Was it a success?

In a 13,000-word article for the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, Mike Richards -- who was effectively sacked by Mr Latham during the 2004 election campaign loss -- draws on psychoanalytic theory to analyse Mr Latham's behaviour during his turbulent year as Labor leader.

Do you think the profile of Latham is an accurate one? Is the former Labor leader a brilliant but flawed individual, given to visions of grandiosity and fired by resentment?

Does the article say anything about politics in general? Does it say anything about Richards, who appears to have harboured a five-year grudge against Latham?